


in vino veritas

by jackswest



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Complete, Drunk Texting, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 10:50:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackswest/pseuds/jackswest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In wine, there is the truth. Jim soon discovers that Bones texts when he's drunk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in vino veritas

Bones had always drunk texted Jim the dumbest shit.

The first time Jim receives a text is one night after an excruciating physical exam. He’s lying on the bed, wishing that tonight of all fucking nights, Bones didn’t decide to go out. He really just wants to bitch about how bad his day was and get grouched at in return. They’ve only known each other for six months but six months has been long enough for Jim to decide that Bones is something special.

And then to add insult to injury, the bastard decides to message him. Jim can tell he’s drunk instantly because the message reads “This girl has such a pretty mouth,” and that is so not Bones’ style. Jim stares at it, wondering if he himself is drunk as he tries to decipher it. Maybe Bones meant it for someone else? It seems such an odd thing to say to him.

But no, later he’s assured there is definitely no mistake. “Damn Jim, you should see what this girl can do with his tongue,” and Jim doesn’t even realise that his grip on his comm has tightened immensely and it’s in danger of cracking. He resists chucking it across the room, barely, before rolling over and going to sleep in case Bones decides that this is the place to explore just how talented her tongue was. Jim doesn’t want to be awake for that. The next day, Bones doesn't acknowledge the text or seem to remember it and that's that.

\--

The second time Jim gets a drunk text from him is after the first time Bones went into space for a practical. It's now been two years since Jim had met Bones on the shuttle now and Bones’ fear of dying in something that flies hadn’t lessened one bit. Jim was out in a random bar somewhere, trying not to think about a certain Southern doctor by trying to find someone to sleep with. His comm beeped and he reached for it, completely aware he was defeating the purpose if it was Bones.

He hadn’t realised that Bones had gone into the black today or he definitely would have been back in the room. It’s not obvious he’s drunk at first; Bones is skilled enough in consuming alcohol that he has decent co-ordinated. But Jim knows him well enough, knows that if Bones was in space today, he's definitely drinking now. It's just how these things go.

The text reads “It was horrible, Jim. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like all the weight of the world was crushing down on me" and all of a sudden, it doesn’t matter one fuck where he is or what he’s trying to forget, Jim gets his ass home and walks into their room because Bones will be a mess and he needs Jim, even if he didn’t say so in as many words. And Jim sits there, allowing Bones to simply eject every negative feeling about space, and for Jim Kirk, born in space, the stuff built into his bones, to listen - well, that’s one hell of an offer. Eventually, Bones’ words are no longer decipherable and he runs out of things to say. He turns onto the bed and mutters a gruff “thanks kid,” that Jim barely hears before he goes to sleep.

\--

He’d lost count of how many times he’d been through this with Bones when it got to “I miss my little girl, Jim. Fuck, I just miss her so much. She’s growin’ up without her daddy,” and Jim’s heart positively aches for his best friend and for the daughter he’s never known. He’s only minutes from their place but he has to read the text twice to understand what it's saying. 

He ignores the empty bottle of bourbon on the floor and the tears falling from Bones’ eyes as he stares at a holo of a brown-haired smiling girl. Jim just sits down on the bed beside him and slings an arm around his shoulder, fully intending to move after a moment. But when Bones turns towards him, Jim doesn’t hesitate in wrapping both his arms around the other’s solid form. And he feels guilty and he knows he shouldn’t be doing this but he does anyway and eventually Bones drops off to sleep. Jim decides this was the dumbest text so far, and the next day Bones is back to his usual self and the photo’s gone.

There are no texts for months after that.

\--

The thing about alcohol is that it reveals certain truths that you may not want to reveal. Jim’s comm dings across the room and he rolls over in bed, almost tempted to leave it, writing it off as Gaila wanting to ‘hang’ tonight. But for some reason, he hauls his butt out of bed and checks it. He reads it through and acts without thinking, leaving the room without putting so much as a jacket on. It’s freezing cold but Jim can’t bring himself to care as he marches to the nearest bar, one of Bones’ familiars, knowing that's where he'll be.

The comm screen is glowing brightly in the darkness, the stark black letters clear against the white background. “I think I’m in love with you, Jim.”

And Jim’s heart is beating fast as he walks into the bar and glances around. Bones is in the corner, on his own. There’s a row empty glasses lined up in front of him and Jim thinks he must be really smashed, smashed enough to tell him what he just said. Jim walks over to him. Ignores Bones’ surprise at seeing him there and just kisses him. Jim pours in all his relief and all his frustration at waiting three goddamn years for Bones to tell him, because it’s almost killed him. But it doesn’t matter because he’s kissing Jim back, those soft lips sliding underneath his and a rough hand coming up to cup Jim’s neck and run through his hair. When Jim pulls away, he’s breathless and his eyes are bluer than they’ve ever been.

“What took you so long, kid?” Bones asks and his voice doesn’t betray any sign of drunkeness but Jim pushes that thought aside; of course he’s drunk, he couldn’t be bothered saying this to Jim while sober. He just looks at Bones, stares at him.

“I was waiting for you, Bones,” he says, his voice low and breathless as he leans in for another kiss. This time, Jim is more lucid and he lets out a moan as Bones’ tongue brushes against his own. All he wants to do is take Bones back, away, into private but he can’t pull back. Jim just keeps kissing him senseless, trying to print in the message that Bones is his, even if it did take him three fucking years to realise it, and maybe if he kisses Bones hard enough, he’ll remember it when he’s sober in the morning. Because he’s pretty sure his heart would break if this was the dumbest text of them all and Bones didn’t mean it.

Then Jim realises he can’t taste any alcohol on Bones’ breath and he smiles into the kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Taken from a headcannon on Tumblr, "Bones always texts Jim the dumbest shit when he's drunk."


End file.
